8 Ups & 2 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

Downs...

2. Pure Filler

Just like last year, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles were contested in a lowly gauntlet match at Wrestle Kingdom 12. It’s hard to call the bout objectively bad, but with 15 individual participants, it felt like nothing more than an excuse to get as many wrestlers as possible onto the card, and that's exactly how it was booked.

Suzuki-gun and the awkward War Machine/Michael Elgin combo started things off. F***ery ensued, with SKG's Taichi working his opponents with the bell hammer and Takashi Iizuki utilising his trademark iron glove, before Zack Sabre Jr. tapped Ray Rowe out. The heels' momentum was halted by Chaos, who eliminated them in only a couple of minutes, then handed Taguchi Japan the same fate. This earned them the right to face champions Bullet Club in the final stage. The bout's most interesting period followed, with Tomohiro Ishii and Beretta bringing some much needed fire, and the good guys prevailing.

The outcome ultimately doesn't matter, as form suggests Chaos will drops the belts in a couple of weeks anyway. Shout-outs to Bad Luck Fale for dressing like a dad on holiday, though.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.